Soft & Chewy Cherry Almond White Chocolate Cookies

I can’t tell you how in love with Red Velvet I’ve been lately. I met a women at the Farmer’s Market a couple weeks ago and she said it was complete and utterly ridiculous that people eat red velvet all year round. She comes from the South and traditionally Red Velvet is only eaten once a year around the holidays. Well I am NOT traditional. And I figure what better way to stray so far from traditional than putting classic cannoli cream in a red velvet cookie cup. Yes I am serious! I’m sure someone’s Sicilian great grandmother just rolled over in her grave.

The cinnamon and all spice flavors of the cannoli cream are perfect with the chocolatey goodness of red velvet. If you guys remember my cream cheese stuffed red velvet cookies recipe, you know that I use another super non-traditional ingredient in my red velvet….ground chocolate. Which adds a delicious crispy texture to the outside of the cookie and a deliciously chewy inside. My favorite!

OMG!! Has this year just been crazy! I can’t believe how long it has been since I’ve baked something…..going through withdrawal….must BAKE!! The last couple weeks has just been filled with work craziness and I am BEAT! Luckily, this phyllo dessert with lemon cream and pomegranates can be done way in advance and just the remedy for super long day!

When thinking about what my guest post at Best Friends for Frosting was going to be for January, I knew I wanted to do something a little lighter since we are all still recovering from Holiday food hangovers but still full of flavor and super delicious! And this was the perfect recipe! The phyllo is light and flaky and instead of brushed with butter, brushed with coconut oil. See how I try? The lemon cream is just a little tart but still sweet and the pomegranates add little bursts of freshness. Make sure you go to Best Friends for Frosting for this recipe! My favorite monthly spot!

I’m going to be honest with you guys. I am a one beer wonder, a one drink stink, a total light weight and a cheap date…bottom line I have a very small tolerance for alcohol. It’s in my genes. My dad could get a buzz from a non-alcoholic beer so it’s really not my fault. Luckily for me, the majority of alcohol bakes out in these Kahula White Russian Cookies so I can have as many as I want without that nasty hangover I am WAY too old for!

Have you ever had a White Russian? It’s basically vodka, Kahlua and cream. Simple and delicious. It is actually my husband’s favorite drink which is why I had to make a cookie after it. This cookie has all the elements of a White Russian minus the vodka. But who needs vodka when you can have espresso, Kahlua and white chocolate all wrapped up in one awesome cookie! Yum!

Eggs are so wonderful and they do so much for cookies in baking. As the egg cooks, it holds your cookies together giving them their structure and shape. That’s why you can have some cookie batters that can be super runny and liquidy but if they contain extra eggs they will just puff up when the cookies bake instead of spreading out. The egg keeps it all held together.

And egg yolks. Oh so delicious egg yolks! These guys are essential in chewy rich cookies. The fat in egg yolks tenderizes the dough by shortening the gluten strands, gives your cookies a richer flavor and will also help make cookies chewier. Because egg yolk is a natural emulsifier it makes your cookie batters smooth with a creamy texture. This is why it’s typically recommended to add the eggs in one at a time. When you are emulsifying the eggs into the butter you want to make sure the eggs are emulsifying with the butter and not just other eggs.

Let’s just talk for a minute about what I ate this Holiday season. I would guesstimate about 3 pounds of cheese..omg…I LOVE cheese, 2 entire boxes of chocolate, beef & pork meatballs and I NEVER eat beef & pork, a bushel of dumplings….kinda don’t even feel guilty about that one and we haven’t even gotten started on the cookies! So, why in world am I posting another cookie recipe?! Because these cookies are just that good and with the cherries & almonds….good for you right?

Happy New Year! 2013 will always be a landmark year for me because that (crazy that 2013 is now a past tense year) was the year I launched this blog. If you know my story, you know that about 6 years ago I started a cookie business and closed that business down about a year and a half ago, thinking I was exiting the cookie world forever. Until I discovered blogging. Blogging has allowed me to explore the creativity of cookies and passion for baking, which is what I have always loved without the stress and craziness of producing hundreds of cookies a week to ship across the country. Since starting my blog a short 4 months ago, I have learned some valuable lessons about food blogging and the start of the new year is always a great time to reflect back to move forward.

What do you think of when you think of love & romance? Candlelight dinners? Long walks on the beach? A nice homemade dinner for two? How about Mexican Chocolate Cookies? They totally make me swoon. Is that weird? Yea..maybe a little weird. But who cares, these cookies just scream romance, decadence and total indulgence for me!

Okay okay I promise this is my very last post of the year for peppermint. I can’t help it. I just love peppermint, especially this time of year. There’s just something so festive about the cooling and wintery taste peppermint always has. Which is why these Christmas cream cheese buttermints are the perfect thing to serve after the most delicious Christmas dinner.

Welcome!

Hi! I am Liz and I LOVE cookies! Thank you SO much for checking out my blog! I really appreciate you guys and appreciate you stopping by! I am a CPA turned cookie baker with a cookie company turned blogger. I hope to share the best cookies you've ever had, tips & tricks I've learned along the way and everything else that makes life sweet! Thank you again!

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